After the breakout success of her debut album When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Billie Eilish, then a talented newcomer whose delightfully disheveled dye job and slime green style were seemingly at odds with the serene vocals she delivered, was solidified as a star on the rise. Yet, despite her laissez-faire attitude towards press and accolades, she’s become something of an awards show darling, becoming the youngest artist, at 18, to sweep the big four Grammys in January. And on Thurday (July 30), she was nominated for six VMAs, including Video of the Year and Song of the Year.
That same day, independent of the announcement, Eilish dropped “My Future,” her first release since “No Time to Die,” the theme to the now-delayed James Bond film starring Daniel Craig and Rami Malek. The dreamy track, though it starts off slow, almost gloomy, is a powerful ode to self-love and personal power. “I’m in love with my future,” she sings. “Can’t wait to meet her / And I’m in love but not with anybody else / Just want to get to know myself.” From here, the beat kicks up with a peppy, summery beat, as the singer, while supported by cooing backup voices, claps back at the notion that one must be validated by outside affection.
The singer first teased fans with the release on Tuesday (July 28), when she shared an animated image of herself on Instagram, depicting Eilish sitting in a field with her back to the viewer as she stared at a glistening full moon. The picture was pulled from a music video, which was released along with the single. Eilish’s sonic journey towards self-love is reflected in the nature around her: The visuals begin with a rainy scene, eventually giving way to blooming vines that grow to hold the singer in a mid-air grasp.
Earlier this year, Eilish’s Where do We Go? World Tour was postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, the singer has been quarantining with her family, including her brother and fellow VMA nominee Finneas, in Los Angeles, where she has been working on new music (if anyone wondered where “My Future” came from) and showing her support for Black Lives Matter protesters. For Eilish, the future is looking bright.
